In my last blog I covered a few of the more common fitness myths that pervade society. In the true spirit of the adage,
“Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see!” here are three more exercise myths that come up again and again.
MYTH 1: You should perform cardio in your “fat burning zone.”
TRUTH: Step into any gym and you’ll hear personal trainers preaching that the best way to lose weight is by exercising in your “fat burning zone.” While this might sound good in theory, the “fat burning zone” is actually based on faulty interpretation of research showing activities performed at a low intensity (60 to 80 percent of max heart rate) burn a greater percentage of fat calories than higher intensity activities.
Fact is burning a greater percentage of fat doesn’t equate to burning more total fat calories. High-intensity exercise burns more fat calories on an absolute basis than lower intensity activities, making it the preferred choice for those looking to optimize fat loss.
One of the best fat-burning forms of cardio is interval training, where you intersperse periods of high-intensity exercise with periods of low-intensity exercise. This not only maximizes fat burning during the activity, but also increases a phenomenon called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) — the amount of calories burned once the activity is finished — which helps keep your metabolism elevated long after you’ve stopped working out.
MYTH 2: Sweat is a good indicator of exercise intensity.
TRUTH: You’ve no doubt heard fitness pros utter the phrase, “Ya gotta sweat.” Many people adopt this as an exercise mantra, believing it’s the key to a successful workout.
Not!
While sweat tends to be associated with rigorous exercise, it is by no means essential to achieving results. If it was, you’d get buff lounging in a sauna!
Fact is sweat is an indicator that your body temperature is rising, not necessarily that you are exercising at an intense level. Your body regulates its temperature by activating your sweat glands, which then releases water through your pores as a cooling mechanism.
Rather than focusing on how much you sweat, the best way to monitor exercise intensity is by using a rating of perceived exertion (RPE). This is a subjective scale that estimates how difficult an activity is to perform. I like to keep it simple and use a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being complete inactivity and 10 being all-out effort. If you want to exercise intensely, maintain a level of an 8 or more on the RPE scale.
MYTH 3: If you stop lifting weights, your muscle will turn to fat.
TRUTH: Some people refuse to lift weights for fear that their hard-earned muscle will simply morph into fat if they stop working out. Nonsense! Muscle and fat are two separate and distinct properties that have completely different molecular structures.
Muscle is a protein-based tissue comprised of filaments called actin and myosin. Body fat, on the other hand, consists of stored triglycerides, which are made up of a carbohydrate (glycerol) and three fatty acids. Hence, the possibility of muscle turning into fat (or vice versa) is akin to an apple becoming an orange: There’s simply no mechanism for it to happen.
Bottom line: don’t let the “muscle-to-fat myth” deter you from lifting weights. The only thing that happens when you stop weight training is that you ultimately lose the muscle that you’d developed.
On the plus side, muscle has “memory” so it’s easier to get back that muscle when you re-start your routine!
Click here to read Brad's previous fitness mythbusting feature.
Brad Schoenfeld, CSCS is one of America’s leading fitness experts. He’s the author of six books, including Sculpting Her Body Perfect, 28-Day Body Shapeover and the bestseller Look Great Naked. He is a columnist for FitnessRX for Women magazine, and has been published or featured in nearly every major fitness and women’s magazine. Schoenfeld is certified as a strength ... [continue]
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great article, I personally also wondered a lot about cardio trainings :). I was able to lose all my unwanted weight recently and feel just great, just as well, fitness has become a great hobby for me, and there is nothing that could keep me away from my fitness training routine. ------------------------------- http://www.w8loss-tips.com
Thanks tyord. Glad you enjoyed it. Keep up the training! Stay Fit! Brad www.lookgreatnaked.com
Thanks for the article - it isvery helpful!! Patty
Glad you enjoyed it, Ollieseh. I'll cover more in upcoming posts... Stay Fit! Brad www.lookgreatnaked.com
I'm so glad the muscle-turning-to-fat myth has finally been addressed! I've been an advocate for years about the benefits of toning and weight-training exercises, not only as a way of building fat-burning muscle, but also the importance of weight-bearing exercises to maintain the optimum health of joints and bones! I know a lot of women (my 3 sisters included) who subsist on cardio alone, (and moan about cellulite) and firmly buck the idea of toning, thinking they will bulk up, then get fat if they stop working out. I'm very pleased that I can now direct them to this article to back up my claims (I'll have to bite my tongue to keep from saying "See?? Neener, neener, neeee-ner!"). ;) Thanks, Brad!!
I liked this post, I found the sweat myth encouraging. It has puzzled me that sometimes I will feel like I'm working really hard, but not sweating, or barely working and dripping sweat!
Good for you, prettypants. Spread the word: weight-bearing exercise is the single most important thing you can do for your body and your health. Stay Fit! Brad www.lookgreatnaked.com
Brad or prettypants, I am desperate...WHERE can I find this program? THANKS, Carol